Abu Dhabi: An early morning crash involving three buses on Thursday injured 47 people, including 39 schoolchildren, said Abu Dhabi Police.
An official source told Gulf News that two children were severely injured but were currently stable at the intensive care unit of Mafraq Hospital.
The three-bus crash happened on Khaleej Al Arabi Street just after Mussaffah Bridge, in the outbound direction from the capital. It involved two school buses and a public transport bus.
About 20 people sustained moderate injuries, and police said they would be discharged after receiving treatment.
The remaining 25 had minor injuries and were permitted to go home.
Brigadier General Ali Al Dhaheri, general manager of central operations at the Abu Dhabi Police General Directorate, said the accident occurred because the buses had failed to maintain safe distances between them during the rush hour.
“The buses did not maintain safe distances between them, and were speeding,” he said.
One driver lost control and his bus crashed into another bus, and a third vehicle crashed into it from behind, the official said.
“We deployed the most qualified teams to the scene as soon as we received the report, and 14 people with minor injuries were treated at a mobile hospital and discharged on the spot,” Brigadier Al Dhaheri said.
Other passengers with injuries were transported to Mafraq, a public facility on the outskirts of the city.
Meanwhile, a section of the Khaleej Al Arabi Road was closed from 7.30am and 9am, leading to traffic congestion on other roads. Brigadier Al Dhaheri said the road section near the accident scene was closed to clean the area but the delays occurred due to the heavy rush-hour traffic.
Official sources told Gulf News that the school buses belonged to the Belvedere British School and Al Dhafra Private School.
Authorities at Belvedere did not respond to queries. Staff at Al Dhafra, on the other hand, refused to comment on the matter till police investigation is completed.
Gulf News also visited Mafraq Hospital, but was not allowed access to the injured children or their families.
A statement sent by the emirate’s education sector regulator, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), said senior officials had rushed to the health care facility following the incident to meet with and comfort students and their families. It added that the Adec is also coordinating with the police and health authorities.
“According to Adec’s private school regulation, buses and other vehicles transporting students need to be equipped and compatible with a number of technical specifications and security standards. Schools are not allowed to hire bus drivers unless they have the required permits and years of experience in driving medium to large buses,” it added.
Brigadier Al Dhaheri urged all drivers transporting children to be careful on the roads, especially during rush hour and fogs, because the lives of children are at stake.
Meanwhile, parents with children in other private schools reported that school authorities had contacted them via email and text message in the morning to confirm that their buses had not been involved in any accidents.
— With additional inputs from Abdulla Rasheed, Abu Dhabi Editor; and Binsal Abdul Kader, Senior Reporter
